“I’d Like to Go.” Pope Leo Floats a Ukraine Trip

The first American pope calls on governments to reduce overcrowding, expand rehabilitation, and use pardons for nonviolent offenders.

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It was late morning on December 13, and Pope Leo had already endured a busy day of meetings.

But when the time came to receive Spiezia and a small delegation of opticians and eye doctors, Leo didn’t rush. In fact, he greeted each person one by one, instantly creating a relaxed, jovial mood.

On the day honoring the saint of sight, the pope and the eye experts traded jokes and stories — and the conversation revealed several charming details about Leo’s habits and hopes.

Here are a few things we learned during this warm St. Lucy’s Day encounter:

• He’s a lifelong eyeglasses wearer. “Glasses? I’ve used them since I was a child; sometimes I wear them, sometimes I don’t. I have them here in my pocket,” Leo laughed, pulling out his current pair. They’re multifocal lenses — and he even had them on when he first stepped onto the balcony after his election, so he could read his speech. The optician presented Leo with white leather eyeglass cases bearing the papal coat of arms, a gift that clearly delighted the pope.

• Lunch happens at a flexible hour — and yes, he enjoys pizza (and porchetta). When someone noted it was almost lunchtime and asked if the pope would be eating now, Leo grinned: “Yes, I do it every day, with somewhat flexible hours.” And does he sneak out to grab authentic pizza when at Castel Gandolfo?
  “Not at lunch – lunch is like every other day. Sometimes pizza in the evening. Even porchetta (roast pork) once in a while,” he shared, to laughs. Even popes get pizza cravings, it seems.
  

• He’s a Roma soccer fan — but the pope belongs to everyone. Spiezia and friends knew Leo’s sympathies lie with A.S. Roma (the hometown football club). Would he watch Roma’s match against Como on Monday night? “Depends on what channel it’s on,” Leo quipped with a smile. One guest pressed further: “Holy Father, my son asked if you’ll say Forza Roma! (Go Roma!).” Leo gave a chuckling, diplomatic reply: “I am a Roma supporter, but let’s put it this way: Prevost is for Roma, while the pope is for everyone.” In other words, as Robert Prevost (his own pre-papal self) he still cheers for his team, but as Pope Leo XIV he rises above partisan fandom. It was a gentle reminder that the Pope transcends even his personal sports loyalties.

• Most significantly, he wants to visit Ukraine. In a tender moment, film actor Riccardo Rossi — a friend of Spiezia — mustered a “serious question.” Would Pope Leo travel to Kyiv soon? Leo grew thoughtful. “I’m thinking about it, and I’ve thought about it many times,” he confessed. “But it’s not that simple, and I’m not the only one who decides – the security of other states is involved. So, yes, I’d like to go; we’ll see when it’s possible.” It was the most heartfelt revelation of the day: the pope dreams of going to war-torn Ukraine, even if obstacles currently stand in the way.

A Longing to Visit War-Torn Ukraine

Leo XIV’s admission about Ukraine was brief, but it spoke volumes.

In a casual chat about daily routines, the pope’s heart turned toward a nation suffering through its second brutal winter of war.

He has “thought about it many times,” he said, of making the journey to Kyiv. For anyone following Pope Leo’s leadership, that comes as no surprise.

This pontiff has been personally engaged with the Ukraine crisis from day one. He’s met and spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on multiple occasions, including his first meeting with a foreign head of state, and he’s consistently pleaded for a just end to the bloodshed.

In fact, Leo has repeatedly called for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, one that doesn’t sacrifice justice or allies. He prays and works for peace with an urgency born of conscience.

When Leo says “I’d like to go” to Ukraine, it’s not a throwaway line — it’s a pope’s pastoral impulse.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, longed to visit Kyiv as well, though the trip never materialized amid security concerns. Leo XIV inherited that desire and has made it clear he stands with the Ukrainian people in their ordeal.

A visit by the pope would be a powerful sign of hope and support.

Yet Leo is prudent: he acknowledged such a trip is complex and not his decision alone.

Vatican officials must weigh the risks, and other nations’ security services would be involved in any papal journey into an active war zone. For now, Leo’s promise was simply “we’ll see when it’s possible” — a humble recognition that he must wait for the right moment.

Pope Leo XIV (right) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an earlier Castel Gandolfo encounter. The American pope has consistently urged a “just and lasting peace” for Ukraine — and he hopes one day soon to bring a personal message of solidarity to Kyiv, despite the security challenges.

On a day devoted to sight, Leo showed vision — keeping Ukraine in focus at a time when some world leaders would rather look away.

Before the meeting wrapped up, there was one more touching exchange. Alessandro Spiezia mustered the courage to invite the pope to stop by his little optician shop near Piazza del Popolo someday — “If you ever feel like a stroll, you’ll find us there. We’re in the shop from morning till night; all we need is a cot to sleep on!” his son Luca joked.

Leo smiled, and while no one knows if the pope will actually follow Pope Francis’s habit of dropping in unannounced, the invitation itself spoke to the affectionate bond in the room. Spiezia left the Vatican overjoyed.

“It was truly an emotional morning,” he said, moved by how warmly Leo had welcomed them and how attentively he listened to each person’s story.

“I invited him to my shop — it would be wonderful to host him. I’ve made glasses for many famous people since 1967, but the emotion a pope gives you is unparalleled.”

In the end, what began as a light-hearted tradition became something more.

On St. Lucy’s feast — a day celebrating clarity of vision — Pope Leo XIV gave a small group a clear view of his humanity and his priorities. Yes, he carries reading glasses in his pocket. Yes, he enjoys a good slice of pizza. And yes, his heart is firmly with those who suffer, whether in Rome’s peripheries or the rubble of eastern Ukraine.

It’s a vision of a shepherd who can share a laugh with the flock, even as he keeps watch for the lost and the wounded.

That’s Pope Leo in a nutshell: down-to-earth, yet always looking upward and outward.

And one day, God willing, we may see him stepping off a plane in Kyiv — a humble pilgrim of peace who never forgot the people waiting in the dark.

Letters from Leo exists to spotlight moments like this, connecting the dots others miss. A pope chatting with a Roman optician on the Feast of St. Lucy could look like charming Vatican color — glasses, pizza, Forza Roma.

But it’s also a window into the man beneath the cassock.

In the middle of light banter, Pope Leo quietly revealed the most telling truth of the morning: he wants to go to Ukraine. On St. Lucy’s Day — the Church’s feast of sight — the timing feels providential: real vision is moral clarity, not just sharp eyesight.

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